A Tale of the Past, Present, and Future
by TardisChic
Summary: My version of The Winter Willow. Sherlock/OC Characters from the show sure to show up: Mrs. Hudson, Sherlock (of course), John, Lestrade, Mycroft, and Molly Hooper.
1. Prologue

Her name was Faith Grace Watson, only she went by Faith Watson when she is with friends and newly met strangers. She was known as "Faithie" with her family, and especially her older brother, John Watson. She was 5 feet and 8 inches tall, taller than John by only a couple of inches. She had light brown hair that tended to go curly when it got soaked and then wavy when dried. Her eyes were brown, and they seldom sparkled; only certain people could do that, and those were far and few in between. Ever since she was a little kid, she was afraid of hospitals. It happened when she broke her arm climbing a tree. She was rushed to the ER, and she panicked. All she could remember were straps holding her down so the doctors could take x-rays and set her arm in a cast. Once she was home, she steered clear of anything that reminded her of that place. At night she would have nightmares, and they were not the most pleasant of dreams. But then she grew into a woman who would knock the living daylights out of anyone who would even dare to hurt her family.

It wasn't unusual in her family that more than one child went off to serve in Her Majesty's Military. Usually they go into the same branch, as to keep an eye on each other. But Faith wanted to be different. She went into the Navy, instead of the Army like her father wanted her to do.

"_The Army is good enough for John; but it's the Navy for me."_ She said to her father the day she signed up.

She knew that John wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her, which was fine. She could take care of herself. Or so she thought. At times when she got sick, she could not go to the infirmary, only because it reminded her too much of the hospital. She got bullied around in boot camp, to the point where she exploded and gave one guy a cracked jaw. She was punished, but in the end, she was rewarded for putting that guy in his place. After she finished boot camp, she worked her way up into the military until her commanding officer gave her the rank of Lieutenant-Commander. Even though she was a woman, she was treated like a man, coming from a family that was famed for its military service to the Queen. She followed her brother in the news, looking for his name when some big happened in Afghanistan. When it came up in the news that he had been shot and sent home, she requested leave to go home and meet him. She got permission, and so helped John at home until he got better. When she was with him at his physical therapy, she would use her best military voice to get him to do what she wanted, or rather, needed him to do.

"_John,"_ she would say, _"you need to get better so that mum and dad don't have to worry about you. And Harry; can't forget her, even though she tends to forget the rest of us in her drinking. Now, GIVE ME 20!"_

Once he got better though, she left again for the Navy. She was 18 when she started and 26 when she got the rank of Lieutenant-Commander. All this time, she was a medical doctor, just like John, but she dealt with other things than John. The more intimate parts one could say. Sometimes she had to travel outside of the navy to do her job proper, but more often than not she stayed inside the navy, treating whatever cases came her way. When she got leave again to visit her family, she considered leaving the navy for good.

"I don't know if I can do it, John. I want to be with my family again." She snuggled up to her brother at their home at Christmas time._ "I would be able to do my job proper here, and work with you too. I guess that is what I really want." _John pulled his sister closer_. "If that's what makes you happy, then go for it."_ He planted a kiss on her head, and then got up. _"Well, mum wants me to go shopping with her, so I'll be gone for a bit, Faithie."_ She nodded.

When she got back from leave, she resigned formally from the Navy. They understood; they really did. She felt happier than she did in years, and got herself set up with a doctor who even works with John from time to time. Occasionally John would ring her and she would come when he needed her. But that was only when he couldn't handle it on his own.

On a particularly slow day after work, she sat in her favorite pub, _The Singing Frog_, drinking a glass of a fruity wine. And that's when the trouble began (or so she thought).


	2. What happened at The Singing Toad

4/30

Faith entered _The Singing Frog_ and sat down at her usual place on a bar stool. "A glass of cherry wine and a slice of berry cheesecake please." Faith was served her drink and dessert and the bartender leaned against the wood. "Slow day? Did you eat anything earlier Faith?" Faith smiled at him as she took a bite of cheesecake and a sip of wine. "Yes, it was a slow day. And I did have dinner before I left for here. A sandwich that was delish." She took out her phone and checked for any texts from her brother. "Did John call here?" The bartender shook his head. "Sorry Faith. If he did, I would've told you when you came in." Faith sighed. "OK, I'll text him then." She unlocked it, and then started to type a message to her brother: _John, where are you? I thought we agreed to meet at The Singing Frog for wine and dessert. Did you forget again? Or is your flat-mate taking you somewhere again?_ She sent the text and took a couple more sips of wine. Soon, her phone vibrated and rang. She picked it up and looked at the resulting text.

_I'm here Faith. Just outside the door. I was just running late 'cause my flat-mate decided to ask the cabbie to take the scenic route here. See you inside, John._

Faith sighed in relief. She thought he almost got killed or something, even though that was an irrational thought. The doorbell chimed as John Watson and Sherlock Holmes walked in. Faith spotted them and waved them on over to the bar. "John! It's nice to see you again!" The siblings embraced each other, clasping each other tightly for a couple of seconds. "Who's this with you, John? Is this your flat-mate that you have been telling me about?" Faith looked at Sherlock, at his dark hair, lean face, and piercing grey eyes. John nodded. "Yeah. Mike Stamford helped him and, I guess I must say it, I, to get a flat-share. That way I can stay in London with an Army pension." John looked at her and Sherlock. "Oh. I forgot. Faith, this is Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock, my sister Faith." Sherlock cleared his throat. "John, I thought Harry was your sister."

"She is, Sherlock. This is my youngest sister." John replied, while gently punching Faith in the shoulder. Faith stifled a giggle and then gestured towards the bar stools she had kept open. "Come, let us drink to my brother's health, and yours too, Sherlock." John nodded and steered her towards her stool, where her glass of cherry wine and half-eaten cheesecake stood. "Started without us, did you?" He gently teased her. "Yeah, I did. Only because you and Sherlock were late." She tapped his nose with a finger and sat down. John and Sherlock sat down with her and ordered their drinks and dessert.

They laughed the night away, and Faith didn't notice when John left; she was focused purely on Sherlock, who was deducting almost everything from everyone at a million miles an hour. "How can you do that, with at least ten glasses of wine in you?" She was drunk, he was drunk, and she knew it. A sudden kiss from Sherlock surprised her, and she kissed him back before finishing her last glass of wine. The bartender (different person) snickered. "Get a room you two." Faith looked at her and put some money on the table. "Here's the money for the drinks. Come on Sherlock." She took Sherlock by the hand, and he led her out the pub, and hailed a cab. Once they were in the cab, he told the cabbie his address. "221B Baker Street please."

"You got it." The cabbie replied. Sherlock smiled a bit and then kissed Faith again. "Gotta keep you awake, Miss Navy."

"What? How did you know?"

"Well, I deduced it, that's how. Plus those dog tags around your neck did help a bit."

Faith woke up the next morning and nearly screamed. Sherlock opened his eyes, turned over and then put his hand over her mouth. "I know what you are thinking, and yes, you must leave before John wakes up." She looked at him with wide eyes. "I don't remember last night. It's all a blur." Sherlock smirked. "Well, let me refresh your memory. We made passionate love to each other last night." She gasped, got out of bed, (or rather, rolled out of bed) and quickly put on her clothes. "I must leave. I just remembered I had work today, and I have to be there early!" She ran out the door, tugging her shoes on as she went. She flagged down a cab and went back to another slow day at work. She wrote his address on her hand, just in case she ever wanted to visit him again. She never could've guessed what was going to happen to her body after that one night stand.


End file.
